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TECH NEWS
Zwift launch online indoor cycling system
Zwift yesterday announced the launch of its indoor cycling system that allows you to ride online against other users around the world. The new Zwift videogame software was revealed at events held simultaneously at Rapha Cycle Clubs in London, New York and San Francisco.
Zwift describe their system as “hardware agnostic” in that it works to a wide range of devices. The minimum you’ll need is a turbo trainer, an ANT+ cadence/speed sensor, and ANT+ dongle although Zwift say that an electronically controlled trainer can give you enhanced experience.
Zwift can use this data to calculate power and convert this information, including variables such as rider weight and terrain, into speed in the virtual environment. It works with a power meter too for even more accurate data. They have a smartphone app so you can get all of that data on your handlebar.
“Anyone who’s ever ridden a trainer has probably thought about how much better the experience could be. We started Zwift because we’re busy people and many days we don’t have enough time to ride outdoors,” said Zwift co-Founder Eric Min.
“The goal with Zwift is to improve the indoor cycling experience by making it entertaining, motivational, accessible and social. We call this “fitness entertainment”. Zwift allows anyone, anywhere with a trainer to ride with their friends. We believe that will get anyone to ride more often and to actually enjoy their time riding indoors.
"For the more competitive minded people, subscribing to Zwift could be the best training investment they can make. We also love riding outdoors but it’s not always convenient. Zwift is meant to complement the outdoor riding.”
Zwift is the first company to combine indoor training with the social and competitive element of Strava into a multi-player platform. You can follow your own workout plans, handy if you're on a training plan, or ride with others in a virtual world, getting as competitive as you want or simply taking it easy and riding along in a bunch.
Zwift will also offer the potential to enter virtual versions of real events, races and gran fondos. Imagine being able to race a bunch of friends over the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, or take on Alpe d'Huez with best friends without leaving your house?
First impressions
I gave it a go yesterday evening in Rapha's London Cycling Cafe, in a pair of jeans and desert boots, thinking I'd just take it easy and see how it worked. I stuck to my plan for about 5 seconds... then someone overtook me and my competitive instincts kicked in. I spent the next 10 minutes working up a serious sweat as I duked it out against other riders.
That's what it's all about, really. It brings out the competitive side of you and you end up working much harder than you might otherwise. It makes it much more challenging and a lot more fun because, let's face it, turbo training on your own isn't usually a whole lot of fun
When is it available and how much will it cost?
Zwift’s public Beta is initially open to several hundred people and the company expects to launch fully to the general public in early 2015. It will cost $10 a month.
Check it out at www.zwift.com
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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33 comments
This sort of thing is great if you're riding next to the person challenging each other but online... wouldn't be interested.
People cheat on Strava FFS, you'd be busting your balls against someone cheating, couldn't be doing with that. Will stick to sufferfest and make believe opponents!
They've also been smart enough to allow the Zwift account to be synced to Strava.
Looks like www.tourdegiro.com has some competition
Doping = just understate your weight to increase your power-to-weight ratio... (or am I barking up the wrong tree?)
Doping = just understate your weight to increase your power-to-weight ratio... (or am I barking up the wrong tree?)
Wouldnt it be the opposite and overstate?
Would it? If I'm putting out 200 watts, but I tell the app that I'm 67kg, surely my onscreen character will be quicker than if I say I weigh 110kg?
I reckon I'll give this is pop, might make the turbo a little bit more fun.
I will however wait for the ANT+ showerhose and refrigerated industrial chiller.....it'll be just like riding outside in winter!
I think this is a great idea, I like that it's usable not just with smart turbos, but power meters, or even just an ANT speed/cadence sensor, makes it much more accessible to everyone without having to buy a new turbo (although I am quite tempted if this works as well as it seems)
Running it on an old PC that can live in the garage would be great, and I'm sure if steering was that important to people it'd be easy enough to add a couple of bluetooth buttons to the handlebars that'd let you move around, it's not like you'd steer the bike on the turbo anyway.
The app supports steering by use of the accelerometers in a handlebar mounted smartphone/tablet, so all you need to do is 'borrow' one of those rotating thingys from the centre of the table at your local Chinese restaurant and mount your front wheel riser-block on it and you can play at going round corners as well.
I wonder how something like that would work if you're using rollers...
..briefly..
Now this would make a turbo session a little more entertaining! Would love to try this. Would it not be great for club training too in the winter...or for social nights so you can have 'indoor' races against one another. I can definitely see the appeal.
Bloody hooligans.
I suppose they'll all be virtually riding round with no virtual lights on, virtually running virtual red lights, virtually knocking down virtual pedestrians. Virtual bastards the lot of them.
Get them virtually insured and virtually taxed.
This is a great idea. Riding on the turbo is boring. I have used a similar type game, in a gym were you could play against 4 other riders and computer opponents. When someone overtakes or you only have a couple of kilometres left, a competitive edge takes over. This results in you giving that extra ten percent and train harder.
As for the cornering, you don't turn on your turbo when training. The computer will make the turn for you. It is down to you to keep the power up and not get dropped.
Soon to be the only way to ride the New Forest with friends.
I'll stick with riding and racing for real...
Which is all fine and well, but when you stay where I do and regularly get 3-4 feet of snow through the winter, it isn't always possible and using a turbo or rollers is mind numbing in the workshop on your own, even with music or video going.
So having a race against some unknown random over the internet, as long as they have "ranking" and I'm not up against Team Sky on a training day....
I am coming to break all your records on my trike
Will they have a virtual dog running across the virtual road?
I bet Mr Lance has his attached to the drum of his washing machine
I pretty much stopped playing video games at Pac-Man- it would be great on this if you could ride over various PED's and go super fast.
In the privacy of my home, I would probably invent the world's first power assisted turbo trainer just to win.
I'm amazed it has taken this idea so long to come to market.
You have a puncture please stop your trainer for 60 seconds.
Tacks would be more appropriate
Yeah, then you puncture, have to get on the bike, go to the ANT+ enabled track pump which they will see as an add on, get your new tube upto the right psi, jump back on the bike and catch your chain gang up.
Can't wait til they include zombies and/or mariokart style powerups.
Are you suggesting a sensor to see when you drink a gel or a control to trigger the EPO syringe?
Banana skin!
Hmmm - no real ability to simulate turns and no feedback to the trainer/bike to modify resistance?
It might make it more interesting when you were gonna use the trainer anyway - but beyond that I fail to see the appeal.
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